SafeTrade Station News

The Delaware County Sheriff's Office installed signs dedicating two parking spots at the county jail as an "exchange safe zone" for residents. Sheriff's office spokeswoman Tracy Whited said the spots, which will be under 24-hour video surveillance, give residents a chance to exchange goods or custody of children in a safe place.Whited said she and her colleagues got the idea for the spaces when they saw a custody exchange take place near the sheriff's administrative offices on North Sandusky Street in Delaware. After conducting some online research, she discovered it has become a common practice for police agencies to provide secure spaces for transactions."I was blown away at how many law-enforcement agencies ... across the U.S. already had these in place," she said.

Delaware County Sheriff's deputy Brian Carter and sheriff's office spokeswoman Tracy Whited are pictured at the new "exchange safe zone" in the parking lot of the Delaware County jail, 844 U.S. Route 42 N. The zone, under constant video surveillance, gives people a safe place to exchange goods bought or sold online, or custody of children. A deputy will not be present during exchanges.